Absorbent headbands are generally well-known. A person may become overheated and perspire while participating in strenuous activities. Perspiration from the head, if unchecked, often drains into a person's eyes and interferes with their vision. The visual interference is a minor annoyance in some cases, and a serious hazard in others. It is therefore common for a person to wear an absorbent headband while participating in strenuous activities to absorb moisture from their head, and particularly from the front and sides of their head. Numerous headband designs have been introduced to address this general problem.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,581 to Rosenthal discloses a sweatband for cooling the head or wrist. The '581 sweatband comprises a conductive, non-absorbent inner layer bonded to an absorbent outer layer, and a band for extending around the rear of the wearer's head to secure the sweatband in place. The outer layer is first immersed in water, and the sweatband is then placed on the wearer's head and contacts the wearer's head clear around. Heat from the wearer's head is then conducted by the inner layer to the outer layer to evaporate the water and cool the wearer's head. Any perspiration reaching the sweatband is absorbed by the outer layer and evaporated in a like manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,016,210 to Mann discloses a sweatband comprising small pads of absorbent material strung on a flexible wire. An eyelet is formed in one end of the wire, and a hook in the other. A flexible headstrap is attached at one end to the eyelet in the wire, while the opposite end of the headstrap is formed into a loop for engaging the hooked end of the flexible wire. The sweatband is worn by placing the absorbent pads against the forehead, extending the headstrap around the back of the head and hooking its free end to the loop of the flexible wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,210 to Konucik discloses a sweat pad for attaching to the existing sweat band of a hat or garment to supplement the perspiration absorbing capacity of the hat or garment. Additionally, the sweat pads can be readily interchanged for replacement and washing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,909 to Spain discloses an eyeshield for use in hair tinting which comprises a brow member, a nose rest which rests on the wearer's nose, and side pieces extending rearwardly from each end of the browpiece, and terminating short of the wearer's ears. Attached to the rear of the brow member is an absorbent material to intercept hair tinting materials before reaching the wearer's eyes. A friction material is attached the inner sides of the side pieces to hold the brow member in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,198 to Mullen discloses a protector for use in protecting the wearer's skin when applying liquids to the hair. The '198 protector comprises a formable, non-resilient core member disposed within an elongated strip of absorbent material. The core member is shaped to conform to the hairline of the wearer across the forehead, and then to follow the hairline around the ears in order to hold the protector in place.
The headbands and protectors discussed above do not meet several needs of a person in using an absorbent headband. For example, none of the above sweatbands provide a single absorbent headband which can be worn during strenuous activity without unduly ruffling a hairstyle, and which at the same time allows the user to readily remove a perspiration-wetted outer cover for washing or replacement. The wearer may desire to replace the sweatband outer cover with a similar dry one, or may wish to replace it with one of a different color or graphic design to complement particular athletic wear. A need therefore remains for an absorbent sweatband which is wearable by a user during strenuous activity, without the headband unduly ruffling the wearer's hair, and which also allows the wearer to replace the outer cover when desired.